My laptop won’t boot past an error message—what can I do?

Yeah, reinstalling Windows is likely the way to go. If you prefer alternatives, consider installing a Linux distro like Linux Mint. It's generally more reliable than Windows in some cases. You can find installation instructions here: [Linux Installation](https://rtech.support/installations/install-linux/).

Before you do anything, if you have any important files on the laptop, I suggest creating a bootable Linux flash drive to back them up. You can follow the steps in this tutorial to rescue your files: [Ubuntu Guide](https://ubuntu.com/tutorials/install-ubuntu-desktop#4-boot-from-usb-flash-drive). After saving your data, proceed with reinstalling Windows as suggested.

It sounds like you might need to reinstall Windows. There are some good guides out there to help you with that. One of them can be found at this link: [Installation Guide](https://rtech.support/installations/install-11/).

Always make sure to back up your data before trying any fixes, just in case something goes wrong. Here are a few commands you might want to run in PowerShell or Command Prompt as an admin that could help resolve some issues:

- **sfc /scannow**: scans system files for corruption.
- **DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth**: checks your Windows image for issues.
- **DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth**: repairs any problems found.
- **chkdsk C: /scan**: checks your disk for file system errors without making changes.

There’s a specific issue called the 'child completion error' that might be relevant here. If that’s the case, you might not even need to reinstall Windows. Check this article for more details: [Microsoft Docs](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/4231007/windows-10-install-error).